The Stranger in the Rain
by cityskyliinee
Summary: For moons, the clans have lived in an uneasy peace, each waiting for the other to shake and break first. But there's a new cat in Rainclan, one that three kits have to investigate. Something mysterious is going down at the lake and Amberkit, Shadekit and Violetkit are going to find out but, what it is, could mean the destruction of all four clans.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a sequel to my previous trilogy 'The Cursed Trilogy,' you don't have to have read it to understand it as I will be going over the general plot of the previous series in these chapters and it doesn't massively affect this story anyway. But…. I would appreciate it if you guys checked it out (Book one is 'The Cursed Ones'). To anyone who has already read it, welcome back! Also, yes, some cats have weird eye colours, it links to their 'Curse'**

* * *

 **Allegiances:**

Pineclan

 **Leader**

Scarletstar- Dark russet-furred she-cat with blue eyes

 **Deputy**

Starlingwing- Black and ginger she-cat with amber, almost red, eyes

 **Medicine Cat**

Marshyeyes- Murky coloured brown tom

 _Apprentice, Redpaw_

 **Warriors**

Yellowtail- Dark grey, old tom

Foxpelt- Ginger she-cat

Nightheart- Black tom with white paws

 _Apprentice, Vinepaw_

Snakeclaw: Big tom with dark grey fur

Blackfur- Black tom with green eyes

Windytail- Light brown tabby she-cat

 _Apprentice, Lilypaw_

Fireeyes- White and ginger she-cat with almost red eyes

Dustfur- Dusty coloured tom with green eyes

Hawkswoop- Dark brown tabby tom with ice blue eyes

Burntpelt- Burnt, red coloured she-cat with brilliant blue eyes

Greytail- White top with a grey tail and blue eyes

Lightfoot- Light cream coloured she-cat

Rabbitears- Large-eared brown tom

 _Apprentice, Thunderpaw_

Bouncefur- Black and white tom

 _Apprentice, Maplepaw_

Flamefern- Dark grey she-cat with black tipped ears

 _Apprentice, Tigerpaw_

Ace- Nearly black tom with slightly lighter grey, tabby markings and odd, purple eyes

Stingclaw- Cream coloured tom with blue eyes

Hazeleyes- Chestnut brown she-cat with blue eyes

Brightfur- Off-white she-cat with black markings

Appleclaw- Dark grey tom with thick fur and blue eyes

Flashheart- Black tom with white streaks along his flank

Heatherfur- Pale brown she-cat with blue eyes

Snowpelt- White tom with icy blue eyes

Frostpelt- White tom with light grey markings and green eyes

 **Apprentices**

Lilypaw- Light silver she-cat with crystal blue eyes

Redpaw- Calico tom with orange eyes

Vinepaw- Dark grey and light grey tom

Tigerpaw- Tabby brown tom

Maplepaw- Calico coloured she-cat

Thunderpaw- Ginger tom

 **Queens**

Stormlight- Half blind, Silver grey she-cat with a darker stripe running along her spine and yellow eyes

Lakeflower- Silver grey she-cat

Lepoardpelt- Dappled golden colour she-cat with black dot markings, expecting kits

 **Kits**

Shadekit- Dark brown tom with lighter brown markings and dark blue eyes

Violetkit- Silver she-cat with a dark, nearly black, stripe running down her back and purple eyes

Amberkit- Sleek, dark grey she-kit with slightly lighter grey markings and yellow eyes

Whisperkit- Silver tom

Darkkit- Dark brown tom

 **Elders**

Owlheart: Light brown tom

Dapplefur- white, ginger and black she-cat

Brightwhisker- Light brown tabby she-cat

Rainclan

 **Leader**

Snowstar- White tom with blue eyes

 **Deputy**

Stonefoot- Big grey tom with blue eyes

 **Medicine cat**

Gooseflight- grey tom with blue eyes and black flecks

 _Apprentice, Swanpaw_

 **Warriors**

Stonefur- Grey tom

Redfall- Dark brown tom with a reddish tint in his fur

Leafstep- Reddish brown she-cat with white markings

Vixenheart- Grey she-cat

Amberfall- Grey she-cat with amber coloured eyes (Previously a rogue)

Crowflight- Smoky grey tom

 _Apprentice, Hotpaw_

Blizzardfur- White she-cat

 _Apprentice, Coldpaw_

Snowstorm- white tom

Brownleap- Tabby brown tom

Riverring- Silver-grey tom

 **Apprentice**

Coldpaw- Grey she-cat

Hotpaw- Reddish brown she-cat

 **Queens**

Blackflower- Dark grey she-cat

 **Kits**

Padkit- Tabby brown tom

Silencekit- Dark grey tom

Pebblekit- Silver she-cat

Lightningclan

 **Leader**

Ivystar- Black she-cat with yellow eyes

 **Deputy**

Reddust- Large calico tom with grey eyes

 **Medicine cat**

Birdfeather- Silver she-cat with darker grey markings and amber eyes

Heatherclan

 **Leader**

Aspenstar- Brown and white tom with silver eyes

 **Deputy**

Lilyfeather- Mousy brown she-cat with large claws

 **Medicine cat**

Lightpool- Pale brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Cats Outside Clans

Kuona- Pure white tom with blind, pale blue eyes

Verse- Strange, silver she-cat with crystal blue eyes

Viper- Black she-cat with green eyes

Gold- Dark grey tom with golden eyes

Mo- Small, cream coloured tom

 **Chapter 1:**

The silver she-cat padded past the waterfall, her silver fur shimmering from the broken light of the moon that washed through the sheet of water. Her eyes were practically glowing in the night, her lithe body like a snake as she climbed over the rocks. She made her way up the mountain up until she reached the top.

There was a pure, white tom standing atop the hill, his fur billowing in the breeze. He looked down upon the valleys below him, his strangely pale eyes narrowing.

"Kuona," The she-cat said, "what do you see?"

The white tom's ear twitched, but he didn't move to look at her.

"Nothing," he said.

"No," her voice sharpened, "what can you _see_?"

He turned to her, "I repeat, nothing. It's all a blur."

"A blur of what?"

"I don't know, Verse," he said solidly, "I can't see anything properly."

A silence fell between them. The silver she-cat, named Verse, padded up beside him, her tail twitching impatiently.

"You have a gift, Kuona," she said.

He sighed, "I know."

"You have to use it, otherwise there is no justice."

"I can see the future, Verse," Kuona said, "I can't see where she is."

"Look into your mind," she hissed, "she is our future"

Kuona looked at her again. Well, he didn't really look. He turned to face her, but his eyes were unfocused, unseeing. They were a bright blue, the pupils almost invisible. He was blind.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

Verse watched her fur rising as his body twitched and his claws flexed.

"A lake," he said, "I can see a lake. A large, shimmering, lake."

"Go on," she pressed.

"There is three."

"Three what?"

"No, there is one."

"One? One of what."

"Kits," he said with his eyes still closed, "three kits, but the other two aren't looking at the lake, only the middle one."

"What else?"

"Two cats, one male and one female."

"What are they doing?"

"The male one, it's him, the brother," Kuona continued, "his fire burns behind him. The she-cat, I haven't seen her before. She has yellow eyes but her body…"

"What about it?"

"It's a storm, she's surrounded by lightning."

"So he is still alive…" Sighed Verse thoughtfully, "do we need to go to this lake? Can you see her?"

"I cannot see the criminal," Kuona said eventually, opening his eyes, "But I think she's at the lake."

"The Lake…" Verse trailed off, "the clans? Why would she go there? They turn away Powered cats."

"Rumour is that there's one clan that's accepting them, but I don't know whether it's true or not."

Verse lifted her chin, "we have to travel there," she declared, "if they're sheltering Amber or Flicker then they pose a danger to us all. Gather the inner circle, we'll send Viper and Toy ahead so we have time to retrieve the rest of the scouts."

"All of them?" Kuona sounded surprised, "are we going to war?"

"Kuona, my friend," Verse sighed, "war is the only way."

Kuona couldn't see Verse, but he could see what she looked like. His 'vision' told him that she had fur that glimmered in the moonlight and blue eyes that shone brighter than the sun. Her fur was dotted with stars, she was a heavenly being.

Even in his visions he never saw any cat, only their soul. Verse's soul was beautiful, he'd never seen stars or any of the so-called 'Starclan.'

But he was sure that Verse was the one who triumphed, the one who could outshine the stars.

* * *

 **A/N: So, we're back in business! So, a build-up chapter to the big event with the introduction of some new characters. Anyone from the old series has probably figured out what they're doing but let me get a few things straight for the newbies who don't want to read series one:**

 **A lot of cats have 'powers' called 'curses.' Most of the clans don't like Cursed cats apart from Pineclan who took them all in, which is why Pineclan is so big compared to every other clan.**

 **The main characters of the last series were Stormlight and Ace (And Shadowheart too I guess), this story is about their kits.**

 **Ace came from the city which he burnt down, he didn't get on well with them, then he ditched his sister to live with the clans where he met Stormlight.**

 **Seriously just go read the first series because I've suddenly realised how strange a lot of this is**

 **Also, remember that Ace has a sister, it is important**

 **To anyone who has read the first series, this series will be slightly more of a 'bigger' story. The Cursed series was more about Stormlight and her romance with Ace and her conflict with her clan and brother, this one is about everyone basically.**

 **So... Sorry for the long author's note, goodbye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

"Amberkit, wake up!" Violetkit's shrill voice split through the air, "you're going to make _me_ late for _my_ big day."

Amberkit opened her yellow eyes and then narrowed them in annoyance as she saw her sister glaring at her from across the den.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Amberkit sighed, "I forgot that you're the only one getting apprenticed today."

Violetkit didn't reply, she just turned her head away quickly, her beady, purple eyes landing on Shadekit and narrowing.

"What?" He said, looking up from where he was grooming his fur, "she's right, y'know, you're not the only becoming an apprentice."

"I might as well be," Violetkit huffed, "you're too busy being selected to become a medicine cat, and Amberkit's too useless to do anything."

"I'm not becoming a medicine cat, what are you on about?"

"Well, I just figured since you aren't really any good at hunting or fighting… Well, neither is Amberkit."

"Hey," Amberkit snapped, "I'm just as good as you at hunting, no, even better!"

"Lies!" Violetkit said, "you're such a bitch, Amberkit."

"Oh, are you learning more big words from dad?" The dark grey she-kit huffed, "you're pathetic, Violetkit."

"I know what I am, and it isn't pathetic," Violetkit stood up, "you're the pathetic one."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Will both of you shut up," Shadekit snapped, "Starclan, I couldn't ask for two more annoying siblings than you!"

"Well, no one's asking," Amberkit shot back

The three siblings seemed to have forgotten that there mother was watching them bicker. Her yellow eyes were droopy and tired as she watched the kits argue with each other once again, her grey fur half ruffled from lack of sleep.

"If it helps, Shadekit," Violetkit continued, "I agree with your point of view on Amberkit being annoying but I don't see how I'm annoying."

"That's because you're an idiot," said Amberkit.

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Shut up!" Shadekit snapped again, "It's like we're going in circles here!"

"We're not going in circles, you're a…. Circle," Violetkit fumbled.

"What does that even mean?" Shadekit snorted.

"It means we're going to be late!" Said Amberkit, "Scarletstar is already calling up the clan."

"What?!" Violetkit jumped back onto four paws, "already?"

"If you three weren't bickering then you might've heard," Stormlight, their mother, said for the first time, her tone sharp as it cut through the air.

"Or maybe if Amberkit wasn't sleeping then-" But Violetkit was cut off.

"Don't blame this on your sister," their mother said, "now, finish grooming your fur and be quick, I don't want you to be late."

"Yes, mother," the three chorused, each glaring at one another.

The grey queen shook her head, letting out a tired sigh. Amberkit figured that she was glad to no longer be a queen anymore, she and her siblings were exhausting to look after. When Stormlight was gone, the three of them continued to smooth down their fur. Amberkit frowned at her dark grey fur which didn't seem as silky as it usually was, or was her judgment twisted because she was just stressed.

Today was the big day, she would _finally_ become a warrior's apprentice and could _finally_ sleep on the opposite end of the den to her siblings. She hated having their nests close to each other, Violetkit would always stretch into hers and then she'd tell her to stop and then they'd start arguing and then their mother would tell them off, like they did every night.

It was like a dream. No siblings, no worries.

"You done, Amberkit?" Shadekit asked, his intelligent eyes filled with contempt as he looked down at her.

"Sorry, your highness," she said sarcastically, shaking herself slightly.

The three of them trotted out of the den, Violetkit making extra effort to place herself in the centre. They sat beside Stormlight who was talking to Ace. Amberkit didn't look at him.

"Cats of Pineclan," said Scarletstar, "as you know, we have the biggest clan of the lake and, today, we make it bigger."

Amberkit wriggled, a smug grin on her face. Every cat knew that Pineclan was the biggest after 'The Big Move,' as everyone called it, happened. The three other clans hated Cursed cats, cats with strange powers, and would kill them if they ever discovered one. So, every Cursed cat from other clans

"Shadekit, step forward."

The little brown tom did so. He was the largest of the three of them but probably not the strongest. His dark tabby fur glinted slightly in the sunlight as his dark blue eyes were filled with a fiery determination, probably to prove his sister's wrong because they were convinced that he wasn't going to be a medicine cat.

"Shadekit **,** you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Shadepaw. Your mentor will be Flashheart. I hope he will pass down all he knows onto you."

"I could've sworn he was about make Marshyeyes his mentor," Muttered Violetkit.

"You know he doesn't want to be a medicine cat," Amberkit hissed back, "stop being mean."

"Like your never mean to him."

"Well-" but she couldn't think of a good comeback, "whatever. Plus, Marshyeyes already has an apprentice."

"Violetkit, step forward." Scarletstar interrupted their bickering match.

The silver she-cat stepped forward, her posture practically radiating confidence. She glared back at Amberkit once before smiling politely at her leader.

"From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Violetpaw. Your mentor will be Starlingwing. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you."

Violetpaw grinned, Amberkit couldn't help but feel slightly jealous about her getting the deputy as a mentor.

"And, finally, Amberkit, step forward."

The dark grey she-cat blinked, getting to four paws.

"From this day on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Amberpaw."

She took a moment to absorb her new name.

"Your mentor will be Brightfur. Brightfur, you are a strong and enthusiastic warrior, I hope you pass all you know down onto Amberpaw."

The grey she-cat touched noses with her mentor. The white and black warrior smiled down at her, her blue eyes were kind. Amberpaw grinned back.

Finally, she no longer had to deal with her siblings.

"How about I show you the territory?" Brightfur suggested, "we can go with your littermates."

"No!" Amberpaw said a little too quickly.

The black and white warrior gave her an odd look.

"I mean," the new apprentice regained herself, "I thought maybe it would be good if we went on our own, just so we can gain a sense of…" she couldn't think of a good excuse, "independence…"

"Independence? The clan must work together, they're your family?"

"I know, but I'd just rather not be with them at the moment. I want it to be my big day, not theirs."

"But it is their's as well." Her mentor pointed out again.

Amberpaw opened her mouth to protest but instead let out a groan of frustration. Why couldn't she get rid of her other two siblings, they seemed constantly attached to her.

"Fine," she said, unintentionally grumpy.

Brightfur just sighed and beckoned two other cats over. Starlingwing was by far the tallest out of the three mentors of Amberpaw and her siblings. Stormlight would often say that she took her height off of her father, but Amberpaw didn't know who Starlingwing's father was. She was a large, leering she-cat with pitch black fur with ginger patches and fiery, red eyes.

On the other hand, Brightfur was a much smaller she-cat. Her fur was a colour just a shade darker than white and her face was half covered in black, which helped to bring out her bright, aqua blue eyes that always seemed to be happy.

Flashheart seemed to actually be the shortest of the trio but had black fur to rival the darkness of Starlingwing but his eyes were a dark, murky green colour.

"How about we see the territory together?" Starlingwing suggested.

"That's what I was saying," said Brightfur.

"What?" Violetpaw said in a shrill tone.

Everyone looked at her.

Shadepaw, on the other hand, was far more controlled when showing off his disappointment. His features were calmed, controlled, but he couldn't help a flicker of annoyance flash over his face.

"Is there a problem?" Asked Starlingwing, an edge to her tone.

Violetpaw's purple eyes widened, "what? Uh-no, not at all."

But she couldn't help flashing Amberpaw a hateful glare over her shoulder. Shadepaw's eyes were narrowed as he sat beside Flashheart, though, he wasn't really looking at anything other than a stray leaf blowing across the ground.

"Then it's decided," nodded Starlingwing, "we'll go together. Sound good?"

The three sibling nodded hastily as the deputy glared at them whilst their mentors shrugged, seemingly unbothered.

The group got up, Amberpaw, Shadepaw and Violetpaw putting distance between each other.

The moment they stepped outside the den, Amberpaw felt like she was three moons old again, sneaking out of camp by herself for the first time. The ground was soft beneath her paws, dotted with pine needles that gave the floor a green tint. The sky was hardly visible through the thick branches of the trees, but the little sunlight that did filter through shone brightly through the cold, autumn air. Amberpaw blinked at the sun.

They emerged from a break from the pines, revealing a small clearing that led up to a shimmering lake, the light glinting on the waves.

"Is that the lake?" Asked Violetpaw, stepping forward with eyes alight with excitement.

Amberpaw heard Shadepaw snort.

"No," he muttered sarcastically, "it's a pond."

But Violetpaw ignored him, "I didn't think it would be so big, I can see all the territories from here."

"Brightfur?" Amberpaw peered at her mentor, "is it true you froze the entire lake once?"

Shadepaw narrowed his eyes, "that's impossible, it's just a story."

Brightfur spared a glance at Starlingwing who was looking amused.

"It's true," she told them.

"How did you do it?" Violetpaw asked, wide-eyed.

The black and white she-cat beckoned the three towards the lake, Amberpaw eyed the shore carefully, not sure about the water. It looked so deep, so blue, but, the way Brightfur looked at it, it almost seemed calming to the mentor.

She hovered a paw above the lake for a second, the three siblings watching closely, before dipping her paw in the water. Except it didn't go into the water. Instead, solid ice appeared on the water.

Amberpaw glanced up, the ice didn't spread very far, but it was far enough to be impressive.

"Woah," said Violetpaw, "that's so cool. I can't wait to find out what my Curse will be."

Amberpaw thought about her Curse for a moment, she had no idea or indication of what it could be but, from what her mother had told her, she also had no idea what it was until she discovered it.

She glanced at her siblings. Violetpaw was looking excitable, her smug look naturally cast over her features. Shadepaw had his eyes narrowed in thought, examining the ice carefully. Secretly, Amberpaw felt determined to beat both of her siblings at finding out what her own curse was. After all, both of her parents were Cursed and had major powers, the three of them just had to have powers!

"Come on!" Said Flashheart, looking up, "we'll show you the Rainclan border."

Amberpaw glanced back at where the ice had been and followed the mentors again.

The walk to the border wasn't too long but, by the time they got there, the warriors seemed instantly put off.

"Can you smell that?" Growled Flashheart.

Brightfur nodded.

"Smell the air," ordered Starlingwing.

The three apprentices did so. The tangy taste of food that Amberpaw couldn't identify and water met her nose, she wrinkled it instantly.

"What's that?" Asked Violetpaw, disgusted.

"Is it Rainclan?" Shadepaw asked, "it smells watery…"

"Well done, Shadepaw," Flashheart nodded, "it is Rainclan, but we're too deep in our territory for it to-"

"Hey!"

The black and white tom was cut off by Violetpaw's yell.

"Get off my territory!" She shouted.

Starlingwing glanced at Brightfur, "I think we've found our trespasser."

The deputy took the lead, leaping over to where her apprentice was. Amberpaw followed eagerly, peering through the legs of the much taller adults.

In front of them stood a smoky grey she-cat with darker grey markings, her eyes burnt a fiery orange, an almost red colour that could rival Starlingwing's own flame tinted eyes. Her body was tall and fairly thin, but her pelt still bulged slightly from muscles bunched up underneath her pelt. The strangest thing was the way the mysterious she-cat instantly flinched when she saw Amberpaw.

"What?" The apprentice asked icily, "is there something on my face?"

The trespasser shook her head, "no, I just thought… it doesn't matter."

"What are you doing on our territory?" Starlingwing stood in front of her, towering over her.

The trespasser looked unfazed by her height, "sorry, I accidentally chased a rabbit over here, I'll leave now."

"You better," growled Violetpaw who was instantly pushed back by her mentor.

"I don't recognise you," said the deputy, voice laced with suspicion, "are you new."

"I was a rogue," the she-cat said, "joined Rainclan six moons ago, honestly, not many cats from other clans noticed I joined, I haven't gone to many gatherings."

Something was off about this she-cat, something about her scent felt familiar…

"Well, you better clear off," but there was wariness in Brightfur's tone, "we don't want trouble from Rainclan."

"And I don't think they'd went trouble from you," the trespasser said, "I'll be off."

"Wait!" Starlingwing said suddenly, "what's your name?"

The Rainclan cat looked a tad bewildered, "I'm Amberfall."

" _Amber_ fall?" Amberpaw heard Violetpaw's scornful voice beside her.

The she-cat, not having heard Violetpaw's remark, vanished back into the ferns, tail swishing behind her. Amberpaw noticed the way Brightfur's usually bright eyes narrowed and how Starlingwing's tail was bushed up as she ordered Flashheart to follow Amberfall.

Amberpaw herself was feeling a little spooked, was her name really that common?

"Don't you think she looked like-" Brightfur began to whisper.

"Hush," hissed Starlingwing, "it must be a coincidence."

The black and white she-cat looked doubtful but nodded anyway.

"Come on," said the deputy, "let's show you the rest of the territory."

* * *

 **A/N: And we're introduced to our leads! Amberpaw, Shadepaw and Violetpaw who have the best chemistry ever, I just love writing how much they hate each other! Question, what do you think their powers will be? And who's your favourite sibling? Personally, I really like Violetpaw, even if she can be a bit of a bitch.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"Show me your hunting crouch," ordered Starlingwing.

Violetpaw nodded, pressing her body low to the ground, her hind leg and front paws tucked under her body in a position to pounce.

"Lower your tail, but make sure it doesn't touch the ground."

Violetpaw did so.

"Now, pretend this leaf here is a piece of prey."

The apprentice slowly edged forward, her paws lightly stepping on the ground, careful not to make a sound, which proved difficult but doable.

Once she reached a good enough distance, she leapt forward, forcing her paws down on the leaf, hearing the satisfying crunch of it underneath her. Shaking herself slightly, she glanced back at her mentor who was looking at her through narrowed eyes.

"That was good," said Starlingwing, "for a first try."

Violetpaw's shoulders sank slightly.

"Your crouch was almost perfect, but your movement could do some work. You have to make sure that your stepping is kept so light not even a mouse could feel the vibrations. You also have to make sure that your don't overestimate your leap, your back legs are powerful which means you almost jumped _over_ the leaf which made your landing clumsy. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry," the deputy assured her, "eventually, this will become like second nature. Let's try again."

By the time they were done, it was nearly sun-high. Starlingwing glanced up at the sky. The two of them were training in a small clearing circled by pine trees. Blue sky was visible overhead, the sun bright and only a few cloud dotted around. Even so, a light, chilly breeze nipped relentlessly at Violetpaw's nose. The Autumn air was cold and dry, making her third day of training uncomfortable.

Violetpaw's body ached from the constant crouching, her bones slightly stiff from practicing her leaps over and over. Her silver fur was ruffled and messy, pine needles stuck in her fur.

"We're done for today," nodded the black and ginger she-cat, "I'll tell Scarletstar how hard you've worked."

Violetpaw nodded keenly.

"Now, I want you to head back to camp, I'm going to stay out a little longer and do some hunting."

"Yes, Starlingwing," obeyed Violetpaw, heading back to camp.

When she did arrive back, the camp was practically empty apart from the queens and elders alongside two apprentices. Both of her siblings were sitting on separate part of the camp, no surprise there, Amberpaw was chatting with Leopardpelt, an expecting queen, and Shadepaw, as usual, was sitting on his own, his blue eyes deep in thought.

That was how it had been over the past three days, when they weren't forced to work with each other through training, the three of them were either arguing or just not interacting at all. Overall, life wasn't much different than before, just a bit more busy.

Violetpaw padded towards the apprentice den, planning on closing her eyes for a bit, but was stopped.

"Violetpaw?"

It was her father, Ace.

Ace wasn't clan born and, since he joined the clans, he had refused to change his name. Apparently, from what her mother had told them, Ace wasn't actually born 'Ace' he was born with another name but had changed it once he'd left his family behind, but Violetpaw couldn't actually remember what the name was.

He hadn't originally been in Pineclan, his first ever clan was Lightningclan, where Stormlight and Brightfur used to live. He had been one of the first Cursed cats to leave his original clan and join Pineclan along with Stormlight's brother but she never liked talking about him or Ace and him leaving in general.

"Yeah, dad?" She looked at him.

He grinned slightly, "I was wondering if you wanted to go hunting, we haven't had a chance to talk recently."

"Sure," Violetpaw said quickly, better than being stuck in camp with her siblings.

Ace gestured for her to follow and she did so, keen to prove herself to her father.

She knew that he had already gone out hunting with Shadepaw but not Amberpaw but Ace hardly ever talked with Amberpaw so it wasn't surprising.

"Show me your hunting crouch," he said and Violetpaw inwardly groaned.

She did so anyway.

"Perfect," he complimented, "but I wouldn't expect anything less."

She beamed at the praise and followed his as they walked deeper in to the forest.

"Brightfur told me you had an encounter with a Rainclan cat the other day," he said.

"Oh, her," Violetpaw thought back to the she-cat that had been in their territory on their first time out of camp, "what was her name again… I can't remember."

"Well, I hoped you chased her off."

"We did," nodded Violetpaw, "but Starlingwing said that she was a new member of the clan, like a rogue or something."

Ace glanced at her, "rogue?"

"Yeah, she said never been to a gathering before even though she'd been in the clan for six moons now."

"Weird," Ace said, "I wonder if she's coming to the one tonight."

"Why? You wanna talk to her?"

"It's rare that you meet another non-clan born cat."

Violetpaw frowned, did Ace ever feel lonely being the only rogue? Did he ever miss his family? He often expressed his distaste of his father but spoke highly of his mother.

' _I wonder if he has any siblings?'_ Thought the apprentice.

"Here," he said, "I can smell a rabbit, wait here."

She nodded and sniffed the air, the mouth-watering taste of prey drifted towards her.

Ace shifted around as she peered through the undergrowth at the large, white furred creature which looked extremely out of place in the dark green landscape. Her father appeared behind the creature, looking at her and twitching his tail between her and the rabbit.

She nodded, knowing what he was asking her to do.

Carefully, he emerged from the undergrowth, claws unsheathed and noisily leapt at the rabbit, alarming it.

Instantly, it's large ears pricked up and it scampered straight towards the bush she was hiding behind.

Violetpaw smirked as it burst through the leaves and right into her paws. She pinned it down under her paws, swiftly biting its neck as its struggling stopped. Dead.

"Nice catch," said Ace, appearing beside her.

She glanced up at him, "it was mainly you, if I missed that rabbit I'd be a mouse-brain."

"But it's important to learn teamwork," he told her, "now, let's see if we can catch anything else."

* * *

When they got back to camp, the sun was beginning to set. Scarletstar's red pelt was bathed in the equally as red light of the sunset, her blue eyes half closed as her head rested on her paws whilst she sat atop high branch. She hardly acknowledged Ace or Violetpaw as they arrived back in camp.

Underneath high branch sat Starlingwing and Brightfur who both also looked pretty sleepy, their pelts pressed against each other as they dozed.

Ace himself let out a yawn as they dropped their prey on the pile.

"Tired?" Asked Violetpaw.

"Slightly," he admitted, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," she nodded, "see you."

The dark grey tom padded off to the warrior's den as Violetpaw headed to the apprentice's den only to be confronted by Amberpaw.

"What?" She asked her sister, her tone hostile.

"I was just coming to say that we're going to the gathering tonight."

"Oh," said Violetpaw, "with you?"

"And Shadepaw."

"Ugh," Violetpaw flattened her ears, "great."

She pushed past her sister who was glaring at her in frustration.

"Alright," Amberpaw said, "no need to get bitchy."

"Whatever," said Violetpaw, settling into her nest.

' _Why can't I ever get rid of them?'_ She thought, glaring at Shadepaw and Amberpaw who were, as usual, sitting apart. ' _Just because they're my siblings doesn't mean I have to like them.'_

Sighing, she lay her head in her paws and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: So, this is mainly filler chapter to build up to the gathering and give you a bit of insight on what Violetpaw is like. She's a real bitch to her siblings and people she doesn't like but, I think, eventually she will become more likeable.**

 **Next chapter: Shadepaw's POV**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Shadepaw woke up with a start, someone was shaking him.

"Oh, you're up," Amberpaw's voice said, "finally."

He got onto four paws, flattening his fur down and looking up. The moonlight peeped through the gaps in the den roof, the sky was clear and cold.

"Is it the gathering?" He asked.

"Obviously," his sister said, "but be quiet, all the other apprentices are asleep."

Shadepaw glanced around, the rest of his den mates were asleep apart from Amberpaw was getting ready to leave and Violetpaw whose figure was silhouetted against the moonlight as she groomed her fur. Amberpaw padded past her without a word, heading back into the camp's clearing. Shadepaw did the same a few seconds afterward, yawning to himself.

The clearing was quiet, only a few cats were milling around waiting to go. Ace was sitting not to far off, he flicked an ear in greeting to Shadepaw but ignored Amberpaw who didn't seem bothered by it.

Violetpaw also emerged from the den but walked straight past Shadepaw to sit beside her mentor. Shadepaw glanced over to Flashheart who was talking to Flamefern, another Pineclan cat, and sighed. He trotted over, ready to listen.

Flashheart glanced down at him.

' _Oh, it's him,'_ Flashheart said. Well, he didn't really _say_ it, the thought of him saying it popped into Shadepaw's head, It was like he had said it, but his mouth hadn't moved.

"Shadepaw," his mentor said, this time Shadepaw was sure he was actually speaking, "we're almost ready to leave."

"Uh," Shadepaw paused, "right, okay."

He shook himself slightly, slightly freaked out that he had just imagined his mentor saying something.

Flashheart looked at him, ' _weird.'_

It just happened again! Shadepaw must be more tired than he thought. He kept imagining his mentor saying something even though his mouth wasn't moving and no words came from him.

Shadepaw quickly dismissed himself and stumbled over to the centre of the group and stood there for a second, trying to wake himself up.

' _Honestly, will he get a move on?'_ Another voice , that sounded awfully like one of his sister's, made him jump.

He turned around to see Violetpaw looking at him, "what's got you so jumpy today?" She asked in a condescending manner.

"You just told me to get a move on!" He accused.

She blinked, "are you mad? I didn't say anything, but I was thinking it, for sure. Get outta my way."

Shadepaw narrow his eyes.

"Hey," she snapped again, "don't glare at me."

"Then don't call me 'mad,' I know you said it."

"I didn't say anything, you're crazier than bloody Amberpaw."

"I'm not crazy."

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are you two kits or something?" Another, snappy voice interrupted, "hurry up, we're gonna be late."

The two other siblings shot a glare at one another and hurried to catch up with the rest of the clan which was streaming out of the camp.

They caught up with their mentors who didn't seemed too worried about them lagging behind. Shadepaw hung back slightly, feeling as though everything was just a bit too loud at the moment.

They trekked through Rainclan territory towards the island, Shadepaw grimacing at the reeds that brushed against his fur. He knew that Rainclan hunted from the lake and the stream where the reeds grey tall and wild, but most Rainclan cats tended to be sleek furred and rather 'large' because their supply of food was almost constant when compared to the other three clans.

They moved past the horse place. Shadepaw couldn't see the large, brown, hoof stomping creatures that his mother had told him about, but he wasn't willing to go in and find out.

Finally, they reached the fallen tree, the one that allowed passage to the island. Scarletstar, followed by Starlingwing, hopped on, gracefully crossing the lake without looking down at the dark water below.

Shadepaw watched it disinterestedly but he felt Amberpaw stiffen beside him.

' _What if it falls?'_ Her voice said.

"It won't fall," he responded.

She looked at him, "I never said it would."

Shadepaw opened his mouth to argue that _he'd just heard her_ say that but then started to wonder whether he was going mad or not, it wasn't the first time he'd imagined people saying things.

"Doesn't matter," he said in a resigned tone.

He climbed onto the tree, feeling the worn bark from moons of cats crossing across it underneath his paws. He strolled straight across, landing safely on the other side.

Violetpaw was only a few steps behind him, also confidently landing. He noticed Amberpaw eying the water cautiously as she walked across at a slower pace.

"Scared, Amberpaw?" Violetpaw said cockily.

"No," she shot back stubbornly, "I was just wondering how deep the water is."

"Deep enough to drown in," Shadepaw told her bluntly, "Now will you hurry up."

Sending one last cautious look at the lake, Amberpaw glared at her two siblings and stumbled a landing onto the island. Violetpaw snickered but didn't make anymore comments as they gathered on the main part of the island.

Shadepaw's eyes instantly narrowed.

"Starclan," he said, "it's loud."

"It's not that loud," snorted Violetpaw, "you just have sensitive hearing."

"That's a good thing," he said, "it means I can actually hear the prey."

"I can hear!" She stuck her nose up, "I was just pointing it out."

"Whatever," he strode off into the crowd.

Instantly, he bumped straight into someone.

"Sorry," his apology was mumbled.

"Yeah," the voice replied, "just watch where you're going."

Shadepaw suddenly felt sick.

 _He was standing on top of a hill, looking down across a large plain of two leg dens, probably bigger than the lake itself. Half of it was burning with brightly coloured flames. One burnt a bright orange colour, dotted with yellow and reds whilst the other burnt with a cooler colour, Purple._

" _That's dad's Curse!" Shadepaw said as he looked at the violet flames._

 _But no words came out from his mouth, he felt like a spectator, watching the scene unfold._

 _He looked down at his paws to find they weren't his own, they were grey, a similar shade to Amberpaw's._

" _What's going on?" He asked but, once again, nothing happened._

" _Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Asked a voice beside him._

 _He turned around to see Ace, his father, standing beside him, his bathed in the light of fire. He looked much younger, maybe apprentice age._

" _We are," said the body that wasn't his, the voice was feminine, "you saw what our father was doing."_

" _Amber," Ace took a step forward, "did all those cats deserve it?"_

" _They did, Flicker, trust me on this."_

"Hey! Are you okay?"

Shadepaw shook himself, his body trembling. He looked at his paws, brown. So then, what had happened. His eyes still round with shock, he glanced up to see who was talking to him.

It was the Rainclan cat from the other day, the one that had been on their territory. She was looking down at Shadepaw with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah," he said, "just spaced out."

The Rainclan she-cat looked down at him, "right."

"Shadepaw!" Amberpaw burst in between the two, "where'd you go?"

Shadepaw paused, glancing at Amberpaw and the warrior she-cat. Both had the same shade of dark grey fur with lighter grey markings running down their back. In fact, the only difference seemed to be one had eyes that burnt orange like fire whilst the other had much less intense yellow eyes.

For all his life, Shadepaw had thought that Amberpaw had got her looks off of Ace, but now he was having doubts.

"I went here," he said.

Amberpaw glanced up, "oh, you're the cat from earlier, the one on our territory."

The she-cat narrowed her eyes, ' _she looks like him.'_

Shadepaw took another moment to regain himself, he was imagining people speaking again, he was sure he was going mad.

"That's me," the she-cat said, "I need to ask you a question."

Amberpaw glanced at Shadepaw who shrugged.

"What is it, then?"

"Do you know a cat called Flicker?" She asked, "I've been looking for him for a while."

"Flicker?" Amberpaw frowned, "the name doesn't ring a bell."

"He might've changed his name," the she-cat continued, "I don't remember what he changed it to… it was long ago."

"What does he look like?" Shadepaw asked.

The she-cat blinked, "like her."

She pointed to Amberpaw who's eyes widened.

"You're talking about Dad," she said, "his name's Ace."

"Ace," she said softly, "that was it."

"Why are you looking for _him?_ " Amberpaw continued, "he's nothing special."

Shadepaw glanced at his sibling, "we can take you to him if you want."

"No," said the she-cat, "he won't want to see me."

"Who are you?" Asked Shadepaw, "you said you were a rogue before you joined Rainclan, did you know my father?"

"I did," she said simply, "not anymore though, thanks for your help."

She disappeared into the crowd.

Amberpaw turned to Shadepaw, "what did she say her name was? She told us, I swear she did."

"Amberfall," he said, "that was it, wasn't it?"

"I guess," Amberpaw looked thoughtful, "was I named after her?"

"You looked exactly alike."

"We did?"

"Yeah."

"We should find dad," she said hesitantly, "he'd want to know."

Shadepaw looked at Amberpaw, she'd never had a good relationship with her father, he'd never figured out why.

"Alright," he said finally, "let's find him."

' _I wonder if Amberfall is related to us,'_ Shadepaw thought as they looked for Ace, ' _she did look a lot like Amberpaw.'_

He found his mind drifting back to the strange moment he had, when he had stood on a hill next to a much younger version of his father in a body that wasn't his own. It was like he was experiencing a memory that wasn't his.

He bumped into his father.

"Dad!" He said.

Ace glanced down, a surprised look on his face as he glanced between Amberpaw and Shadepaw. He was probably shocked that, for once, they weren't arguing.

"What is it?" He asked.

"There was a cat, a she-cat looking for you, I think."

"Who was it?"

Ace was sitting next to Stormlight who had her eyes narrowed as she watched the leaders on the branches of the island's large tree. Ivystar, the Lightningclan leader, was sitting near Scarletstar, the two talking with their heads bent down together. Aspenstar, the Heatherclan leader, was sitting away from them next to the old Rainclan leader, Snowstar. The two latter leaders were glaring at Scarletstar, probably because she was still the only leader that accepted Cursed cats.

"Some she-cat," Amberpaw put in, "the one that was on our territory."

"Her name was Amberfall," Shadepaw told him, "she knew your old name, Flicker."

Ace looked up.

 _He was on the hill again, this time seeing the fire from a slightly different angle. Shadepaw glanced around, what was he doing back here? He glanced to the side to see a familiar figure, Amberfall. She was looking out onto the fire, her eyes alight._

 _Shadepaw realised with a jolt that he was looking through his father's eyes, this must be his father's memory. That means, the first time it happened he was looking through Amberfall's eyes, how did the two know each other._

" _Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Asked Ace._

" _We are," said Amberfall, "you saw what our father was doing."_

" _Amber," Ace took a step back, "did all those cats deserve it?"_

" _They did, Flicker, trust me on this."_

 _Shadepaw turned back to look at the fire, half of the two-leg place was burning down._

 _Had his father started this fire?_

* * *

 **A/N: I am soooo sorry! I wanted to update this ages ago but school just took over. I've just began year 10 and I've already had so many mock GCSE exams it's sooo annoying! I usually can write a chapter in one sitting but now I'm only able to write maybe 400 words a day if get the time. I'll try an update asap but you might just have to wait another week! Sorry!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Amberpaw watched as Shadepaw seemed to completely zone out, his eyes wide with shock at something she couldn't see. When he snapped out of it, he was looking at his father in a weird way.

Amberpaw figured that Shadepaw was probably ill or something, he'd been acting weird ever since they had set out to the gathering.

But that wasn't what was interesting. What was interesting was the sudden way Ace's eyes had narrowed at the mention of Amberfall and the way Stormlight, who had overheard them, instantly looked at him with a concerned expression. Amberpaw realised that Amberfall _had_ to be connected with their past or, at least Ace's past.

" _You looked exactly like her,"_ Shadepaw had said to Amberpaw.

Was it possible that they were related?

There was a lot about her parents past that Amberpaw and her siblings didn't know.

She knew that Stormlight had a brother called Shadowheart, but she didn't know much about his because her mother never liked to talk about him.

Amberpaw also knew that Stormlight's mother was Ivystar of Lightningclan, but she didn't like her father very much. Why didn't she like him? Amberpaw didn't know.

Ace's past was even more of a mystery. Who were his parents? Did he have any siblings? Why did he join the clans? Why did he leave Lightningclan and join Pineclan without Stormlight only to have Stormlight get kicked out of her own birth clan and join Pineclan anyway?

It was complicated, was what Amberpaw concluded.

But now, the two siblings had unintentionally uncovered a piece of Ace's past that he probably didn't want them to know about.

Honestly, Amberpaw couldn't give any less of a 'shit' (a word Ace said a lot) about what her father wanted them to know and didn't want them to know.

Ace had opened his mouth, poised to say something out, when he was cut off by a loud yell coming from the trees above.

Amberpaw turned herself around to see the dominating black furred figure of Ivystar standing on top of a tree branch beside Scarletstar who was neatly sitting with her tail around her paws.

"Lightningclan will begin," she told the clans simply, "prey has ran well this green-leaf, one of our queens has had a new litter of kits. We've also named two new apprentices, Juniperpaw and Hawkpaw."

Amberpaw glanced over to see two apprentices sitting beside each other. One was a white and grey tom with green eyes whilst the other, who was also a tom, had pure black fur and narrowed blue eyes that glared up at his leader. A little way off from them, she spotted Violetpaw who was actively chatting to a reddish-brown she-cat.

Scarletstar was stepping up now, "Pineclan has also thrived in this new season. We have named three new apprentices, Shadepaw, Amberpaw and Violetpaw."

The clans began to chant out their names loudly, but Amberpaw was distracted by the black tom that had twisted around to look at her.

Their eyes connected for a second and he suddenly smirked, causing her to glare at him. His brother nudged him and, with a final glance, he turned back around.

Amberpaw, still feeling slightly frustrated that her moment was ruined, turned back up to look at Scarletstar who had sat back down and was now watching Snowstar, the leader of Rainclan.

He gave a usual report, announcing some warriors names and giving an update on a dog which had ran round their territory but they'd managed to chase it off.

When Aspenstar stood up, his report was similar but added something on the end.

"We've also scented some rogues on our territory this morning and we believe they were heading in the direction of Lightningclan."

Ivystar dipped her head and the gathering began to break up. Violetpaw came padding back over, her fur slightly ruffled but Amberpaw was too busy to find out why. She was trying to judge her father's expression but his face had turned back to a stony, apathetic look rather than the suspicious one when Amberfall's name had been brought up before. Shadepaw, on the other hand, was holding his usual, cold, calculating look, his eyes locked onto something Amberpaw couldn't see.

"What killed the mood here?" Asked Violetpaw.

Stormlight was the one to stand up, "nothing, Violetpaw, before we leave, I want you kits to meet someone."

Amberpaw and Shadepaw followed but Violetpaw let out a weak protest.

"I'm not a kit!" She said but followed anyway.

They drew up in front of a tall, black she-cat with eyes so yellow they could rival Amberpaw's or even Stormlight's. Ivystar.

"Mother," greeted Stormlight.

"Stormlight!" The two touched noses, "it's been a long time since I've seen you."

She smiled, "well, I've been busy." She gestured with her tail to the three siblings, "these are my kits."

Ivystar looked at each apprentice one by one, her eyes lingered on Shadepaw just a second longer. Shadepaw, who held a steady eye contact with the Lightningclan leader, stood up a little straighter, his eyes suddenly calculating again.

"This is Violetpaw," Stormlight gestured to her.

"I can see she takes after you," Ivystar nodded an approval.

"And this is Amberpaw," she continued.

"Takes after her father."

Amberpaw tried to stop herself from bristling at the remark.

"And this is Shadepaw."

There was a pause.

"He takes after Dusk-" Ivystar cut herself off, "Shadowheart, he takes after Shadowheart."

Violetstar seemingly hadn't noticed the stumble but Shadepaw certainly had and muttered something in Amberpaw's ear.

"She was going to say Duskpelt."

Amberpaw glanced at him in surprise, "like the elder's tale?"

Shadepaw opened his mouth before closing it and shaking his head. "I'll explain later."

Amberpaw didn't push him any further as Scarletstar was calling them over.

"It was nice meeting you," Amberpaw said politely to Ivystar who dipped her head before dismissing herself.

"Isn't it cool that our grandma is leader of Lightningclan?" Said Violetpaw, "I'd like to be leader someday. Not of Lightningclan, obviously, but of Pineclan."

Shadepaw wasn't listening.

"She seemed nice," Amberpaw said as they trotted back over to their clan, "she reminded me of Scarletstar."

"Same," Violetpaw nodded.

Amberpaw had to shake herself slightly, it was strange to have a conversation with Violetpaw that _didn't_ end up with them bickering. She wasn't sure whether to like it or not.

She bumped into someone.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Do you Pineclan cats not know how to walk?" the voice said back.

Glancing up, she recognised the black tom from earlier.

"Obviously I do," snorted Amberpaw, "I just wasn't looking where I was going."

"So you're blind too?"

"Hey!" She protested, "I said sorry. I didn't mean to get on your bad side, your highness."

He laughed and then, to her surprise, she found herself laughing too.

"I'm Hawkpaw," he said, "you are?"

"Amberpaw," she nodded her head.

Hawkpaw grinned, "well, see you around, Amberpaw."

He walked off.

She stood still.

"See you around, I guess," she muttered to herself more than to him.

"Did you like him?" Shadepaw said from behind her, making her jump.

"Ah!" She cried out, "don't do that!"

"Just wondering."

"He seemed nice enough, I guess," she shrugged, "it doesn't matter."

"Will you two get a move on?" Violetpaw's whiny voice came from behind them, "you're holding up the clan."

"Yeah, yeah," sighed Amberpaw, "we're moving."

They hopped onto the tree bridge, Amberpaw glanced cautiously down onto the dark, swirling water. It's reflection of the stars and moon were strange and distorted, Amberpaw's own reflection just looking like a blob of grey against a white moon. She thought about how cold the water could be and shivered slightly, she didn't fancy a dip.

She was relieved when she hopped off the other end and could finally stretch her claws and relax her shoulders.

She followed her clan back to their own territory and she instantly felt at ease, she yawned, ready to get into her nest.

"Hey," a voice behind her made her jump, again.

"What is it, Shadepaw?"

"I need to tell you something," he said, "where's Violetpaw?"

"Why would I know?" Amberpaw rolled her eyes.

"I'm here," said the third sibling, "what do you want, Shadepaw?"

He looked fleetingly smug for a snap second before his usual, impassive look reappeared.

"I've figured out what my Curse is," he said in a fairly neutral tone but with a hint of triumph hidden in the pitch.

Amberpaw sighed, "fine then, you win."

Violetpaw's ears pricked up, "where's the proof?"

"It doesn't matter right now," he sighed, "I win the bet, you owe me."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," muttered Amberpaw, "but Violetpaw's right, where's the proof?"

"Fine then," frustration crept into his tone, "think about something random."

' _Like what…?'_ Amberpaw wondered.

"Like anything," Shadepaw answered a question she hadn't said aloud, "and, no, Violetpaw, I'm not lying."

She narrowed her eyes.

' _Can you hear this?'_

There was a pause.

' _I can.'_

"Woah!" Amberpaw exclaimed out loud, "that's so cool!"

"I didn't know I could do that part," he said honestly.

"What part?" Violetpaw peered at him.

"I can hear him in my head," Amberpaw told her.

There was a moment of silence as Violetpaw and Shadepaw locked eyes for a moment, there was a feeling of building power in the air.

"You're right," Violetpaw said finally, "that is cool."

"So you believe me now?" He peered at both of them.

The sisters exchanged a glance before nodding to him.

"Great," a sudden burst of emotion appeared in his voice, "that means I win the bet. You both owe me a favour."

Amberpaw gave a defeated sigh and nodded.

On the other hand, Violetpaw was not so easily done in.

"Wait a minute," she said, "that's so unfair! You can read my mind so I don't owe you crap!"

"Hey," protested Shadepaw, "you made the bet when we were kits, you gotta deal with it and go with it, okay?"

She pouted before getting to her paws, "fine! But, just to let you know, when I find out what my power is, I'm gonna beat both of you to the ground."

"What did I do?" Amberpaw put in but she wasn't done.

"Just you wait, you think I'm weak but-"

"No one is saying that," pointed out Shadepaw.

"But you were thinking it."

"No I wasn't," he shook his head, "and neither was Amberpaw."

"I wasn't," she backed him up.

"Yes you were," Violetpaw nodded to herself, "I can tell so…" she seemed to have lost her train her thought, "so whatever!"

She strutted off.

"She took that well," remarked Amberpaw.

Shadepaw turned back to her, "Amberpaw, I don't trust this Amberfall she-cat, I think she's done so bad stuff."

Amberpaw looked at him, "like what?"

"I'm not sure yet," he looked straight back at her, "I think I need to test this power out more, then I can find out."

"You'll tell me what you find out, right?"

"Promise," he nodded, "I'm going to sleep."

She nodded, said her goodnights and curled up in her own nest. Falling fast asleep with moon hanging above her head.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm supposed to be revising for a Biology mock but who cares about science when I can write stories about talking cats! I'm really looking forward to messing around with Shadepaw's power, there's a lot of interesting things going on with it and, to all of you who know who Duskpelt is, it's a lot stronger than his power.**

 **I'll try update this weekend!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Violetpaw was thinking hard, which was something she didn't do often. In fact, she was thinking so hard that she wasn't looking where she was going.

"Ow!" She said as she walked into a tree.

Starlingwing, her mentor, turned around, looking especially tired.

"Watch where you're going," she told her.

"I was looking," Violetpaw lied, "I just didn't see the tree."

"Well obviously you weren't looking well enough," she turned back around, "come on, we want to get to the hollow before we run out of daylight."

Violetpaw, still reeling from walking into a tree, nodded and trotted to keep up with her mentor.

She went back to thinking, but also watching where she was going this time. She was thinking about her Curse and when she'd find out what it was. Shadepaw had already figured out his, but Amberpaw hadn't and neither had she herself, which was annoying. She had watched her parents and clanmates show off their powers and practice fight against each other when using them. She had to have a power, both Stormlight and Ace were two of the most powerful Cursed cats ever, she just _had_ to have one.

"Starlingwing?" She peered at her mentor.

"Yes?"

"How old were you when you found out what your Curse was?"

Starlingwing, still walking, looked back at with amber eyes.

"I was young, younger than most."

"How old?"

"Two moons old."

"Two Moons?" Violetpaw was shocked, "how did you find out at that age? The elders told me that most cats don't find out until they're apprentices."

"That's true for any normal cat," Starlingwing was still walking, "most cats don't experience extreme emotion when you were younger."

"Why did you experience 'extreme emotion' at three moons old?" She couldn't help her curiosity.

There was a sigh from the deputy.

"You know how Cursed cat's powers are triggered, right?"

"Yeah," She nodded, she'd been taught by her parents, "it's by feeling 'extreme' emotion or being put in an 'extreme' situation or something like that."

There was a pause, "I was put in both."

Violetpaw hurried up so she could walk beside her mentor.

"I didn't have a great childhood," Starlingwing continued, "sure, Scarletstar was a great mother but she was busy most the time and there was never any other kits in the nursery for me to play with."

"Didn't you have a dad?"

"We never had a good relationship."

Violetpaw thought about Amberpaw and Ace's relationship or the lack of a relationship. The two never talked and practically ignored each other all the time. She wondered whether Starlingwing had to deal with that.

"Why not?" She asked.

"He was a sick, twisted cat who only cared about power," growled Starlingwing, "He worked with cats in his clan that thought that he should be the leader instead of his mother, Violetstar, the cat you were named after. Eventually, she found out about his treachery and threw him out of Pineclan, but the damage was already done."

"But how did you discover your curse?"

"See this?" Starlingwing flicked her ear downwards to reveal a pink scar behind it.

Violetpaw's eyes widened.

"Got this from him after a particularly bad argument, I was two moons old."

"Woah," was all the apprentice could say.

"When he left, I ran away from camp," her mentor went on, "I was scared, I told myself I'd join another clan or something."

"But you didn't," pointed out Violetpaw.

"No," Starlingwing sighed, "whilst I was running away, I was so scared that I accidentally activated my Curse. I knew I couldn't tell anyone but I did realise that I had a way of sticking up to him, so I went back."

"That's so crazy," Violetpaw looked at Starlingwing, "what happened to your dad, then?"

"After he was kicked out, he launched an attack on your mother and almost killed her but, in the end, it was Ivystar who killed him."

"What was his name?"

"Duskpelt."

Violetpaw was confused, "why did he try to kill my mom?"

Starlingwing looked down at her, her eyes narrowed as if she were seriously contemplating something before she stopped and sighed.

"It's a long story, one that I don't have time to explain, we need to get training."

"Wait!" Violetpaw blocked her path, "one more question."

"Only one?"

"I swear"

"Go on then."

"Curses can only be first activated by strong emotions or events, right?"

"Right."

"Well, Shadepaw hasn't experienced much extreme emotions or events, why does he get his Curse before me?"

Starlingwing paused, "Shadepaw discovered his Curse? When?"

"Last night at the gathering," Violetpaw told her, "and it's not fair because _I_ wanted to be the first to figure out what my Curse was, it's not fair."

Starlingwing looked thoughtful, "we'll talk about this later, Violetpaw, we need to start training."

* * *

When they got back to camp, it was already dark, the days were getting increasingly shorter and shorter, there was hardly any time to train. However, this hardly bothered the Pineclan cats, most had trained to hunt at night anyway.

Starlingwing broke off from Violetpaw, padding over to Brightfur.

The apprentice noticed her brother sitting in the shade of the den, his eyes narrowed and glaring at Scarletstar on top of her tree branch, talking to her two senior most warriors, Yellowtail and Foxpelt.

Confused, she walked over to him.

"What are you doing Shadepaw?" She asked critically.

"Trying to get my power to work," he sounded frustrated, "it always works when I don't need it to."

"So you're trying to spy on Scarletstar."

"I'm just practising," he glared at her.

"Well, Starlingwing said curses only work when you feel emotion."

He snorted, "and I'm _really_ great at feeling emotion."

"Maybe that's why it's not working," she said, "usually your Curse only works when you're not really feeling any emotion, and right now you're feeling angry."

"So you're asking me to calm down?"

"Basically."

He gave a defeated sigh and closed his abnormally dark blue eyes before opening them again. His cold, calculating look had returned.

"Duskpelt," he said suddenly, "I've heard that name before."

"Yeah, Starlingwing mentioned it when we went training this morning," Violetpaw peered at him, "why?"

"You were thinking about him," said Shadepaw, "Ivystar killed him?"

"That's creepy," she remarked, "you can just look into my mind and see the exact conversation."

"That's the thing, see," her brother said, "when Ivystar looked at me, she thought I looked like this Duskpelt cat. I couldn't quite see who she thought Duskpelt was."

"Maybe you should ask Stormlight," she suggested, "Starlingwing said that this 'Duskpelt' cat didn't like her that much."

He frowned in thought, "okay, you ask."

"Why me?"

"You're her favourite," he said, "you ask."

She glared at him, "fine, but I'm not going to like it."

"You don't like anything anyway."

Violetpaw got to her paws and padded over to just outside the warrior's den, where her mother was. As usual, she was talking to Ace who glanced up in greeting.

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah…" Violetpaw tried to find the right words, "I have a question."

Stormlight shrugged, "what is it?"

"I was just…. Uh… overhearing some stuff and I heard this cat's name was mentioned, I was just wondering if you knew who he was."

"What's his name?"

"I think it was Duskpelt," she looked for any kind of reaction.

Ace glanced at Stormlight who frowned.

"He was the old deputy of Pineclan before Scarletstar became the leader, he wasn't a very nice cat."

"Did you know him, personally?"

There was a pause.

"No."

Now, Violetpaw had never had the observation skills of her sister or cold intelligence of her brother, but she wasn't an idiot. So, she picked up right away that this was a lie. First of all, Starlingwing had explicitly told her that Stormlight knew who Duskpelt was and had apparently been attempted to be murdered by him. Second, Stormlight looked nervous when she answered, like a liar.

Violetpaw couldn't believe it.

"Oh, okay," she said finally, "just wondering…"

She walked back to Shadepaw before they could say anything else.

Amberpaw was there too now, her eyes narrowed as she watched the scene unfold.

"She's lying," Violetpaw said, "she does know who Duskpelt it, she's just lying."

Shadepaw glared, "I can't read her, it's too dark."

"Too dark where?" Amberpaw glanced at him.

"Her mind, mouse-brain," he snapped, "I can't read her mind."

"Right," Amberpaw rolled her eyes, "because that was obvious."

"It doesn't make sense," sighed Violetpaw, "they've never lied to us before."

Shadepaw frowned, "they're trying to hide something from us!"

"First Ace with his secret relative and now this?" Amberpaw shook her head, "you're right, they are trying to hide something. Well, that's not gonna stop me from finding out the truth!"

"Wait a minute," Violetpaw glanced at them, "what secret relative?"

"You know that trespasser we saw on our first day out as an apprentice?" Shadepaw asked.

"The one who looked like Ace?" Violetpaw frowned.

"Yeah, her," he confirmed.

"How do you know?" She asked cautiously.

"Don't matter," he shrugged, "but I have a plan."

"What is it?" Amberpaw asked.

Shadepaw grinned, "we're gonna find this stuff out for ourselves, tonight."

"What are we gonna do?" Violetpaw felt excited.

"Violetpaw, me and you are gonna break into Rainclan territory in the night so I can see into Amberfall's mind."

"Can't you read Ace's?" Asked Violetpaw.

"Kind of," he squinted, "it's a tad blurry but I could read Amberfall's mind clearly."

"Okay then, you two do that but what about me?" Amberpaw glanced up.

"I think you should get into Lightningclan camp," Shadepaw explained, "get to that tom you met at the gathering."

"Hawkpaw?" She sounded critical, "seriously? I've met once."

"And he likes you so he'll trust you."

"How do you know he likes me?"

Shadepaw just gave his sister a flat stare, "that's a stupid question."

"What if I do find him, what then?"

"Get him to talk to people in the clan _about_ Duskpelt, specifically Ivystar."

"How do I convince him to do that?" Amberpaw didn't sound happy.

"Just figure it out, okay?" Shadepaw just sounded tired, "is it a plan?"

"Yep," Violetpaw agreed instantly.

There was a pause before Amberpaw finally answered with a grumpy 'fine.'

"Great," for once, Shadepaw was showing some actual enthusiasm, "then, at moon high, the plan begins. Deal?"

The two other sisters looked at each other before nodding.

"Deal."

* * *

 **A/N: So, I think I'm going for a kind of 'don't trust the adults' theme with this? I'm not sure? This story is gonna have so many goddamn plot threads with the fucking mysterious rogues, the mysterious Duskpelt and the mysterious Amberfall. Not to fucking mention AMberpaw's daddy issues, Shadepaw trying to get a grip and not be compared to his evil grandfather and Violetpaw's insecurities. Not to mention the friggin Geography test!**

 **Anyway, whilst I have fun trying to figure out how to make these threads all tie together, you guys can go reread the Cursed trilogy to freshen up your memories!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

"It's not going to work, Toy," criticised the grey tom from afar, "let me try."

A large, tabby brown tom, Toy, glared back at him, "you heard what Verse said, she asked me to do it, not you."

"Well then we'll be here all night," the tom continued, "and we don't have time."

"No."

"I can get the information, you know I can."

Toy turned back around and ignored him, much to the tom's frustration. Why was he constantly undermined? The one no one listened to? He was easily the most powerful of them all, he didn't deserve to be forced to sit on the sidelines.

"Get off me, you filthy rogue," A mousy brown she-cat was pinned underneath Toy.

"She won't answer any of your questions," the tom continued.

"Shut up, Gold," Toy spat at him before turning back to the she-cat, "tell us what you know."

"I'm not telling you anything, rogue," the she-cat spat back.

"Get out of my way, Toy," the grey tom, Gold, stood up and walked towards the two.

Toy glared back at him, "no."

Gold sighed before narrowing his eyes right at him, "get out of my way."

The large, tabby tom seemed to suddenly go into a trance and move to the side like he was in a dream. The she-cat who had been pinned scrambled to her paws and began to run.

"Stay where you are!" Gold growled at her.

She froze suddenly, her posture was stiff and unnatural, her paws seemed stuck to the ground.

"What in Starclan?" She looked at her paws and back up at him, "what did you do to me?"

"Tell me your name," he ordered.

"Lilyfeather," she responded automatically before clamping her jaws shut.

"Tell me, are you a clan cat?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, what is your position?"

"I am the deputy of Heatherclan."

"Tell me, where is Heatherclan?"

"You're standing in our territory right now," She dipped her head towards a downward slope, "our camp is hidden down their in a dip in the moors."

Gold nodded, a grin spreading on his face.

"And, tell me, is there a cat named 'Amber' in your clan?"

"No."

"Tell me if you know a cat named 'Amber.'"

"I know two."

"Two?" Gold found himself getting curious, "tell me, who are they?"

"One in a Rainclan she-cat named Amberfall, she used to be a rogue, and the other is a Pineclan she-cat named Amberpaw."

The aftermath seemed horrifying for Lilyfeather. The moment the she-cat snapped out of the dream-like trance she'd been put in, her eyes widened and she fell backwards. But Gold no longer seemed to care, his eyes were narrowed in thought but with an unsettling spark in the mix.

"Gold," Toy came up to him, he was easily double his height, "how dare you use your shitty little trick on me."

"You were in my way," he glared back up at him, "I got the job done, didn't I?"

"Let me go!" She said.

Toy glanced at Gold who shrugged.

"She's stuck until I tell her she can move," he told him.

The Heatherclan deputy had both of her front paws rooted to the grass in a stiff posture, her face furrowed in an odd sort of concentration as she tried to force herself to move but to no avail.

"What do we do with her?" Gold asks, "she's worn out her stay."

Toy got to his feet, "leave it to me."

Gold turned his back to the two as Toy approached Lilyfeather as three shapes were making their way over the hill. One was a beautiful, sleek silver she-cat with crystal eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. She moved in an ethereal type manner, as though she were one of the clan's sacred Starclan cats. Beside her, a white tom whose fur stuck out in tufts was walking along, his head tilted towards the sky. On his other side walked a pitch, black she-cat with long strides and poisonous green eyes as she towered over the small, cream coloured tom beside her.

"Gold," said the silver she-cat, "I thought I told Toy to do the job."

"We weren't getting anywhere, Verse," Gold told her, "I decided to intervene."

Verse didn't narrow her eyes or show anger, her expression didn't change at all. She looked at the white tom beside her who didn't look back but, then again, it's not like he could.

"Did you get any information?" Asked Verse as Toy reappeared by Gold's side, paws covered in blood.

Gold had to stop himself from bristling. Why was he always ignored? Always lectured by Verse? He was by far the most powerful in the group.

"We did," Toy said gruffly, "there are two cats with the name 'Amber.'"

"Who are they?"

"Amberfall of Rainclan and Amberpaw of Pineclan."

"It has to be Amberfall," Gold cut in, "apparently she only recently joined the clans."

"Interesting," Verse nodded thoughtfully to herself, "what do you think, Kuona?"

The blind tom didn't move his head to look at Verse but instead continued to absently stare at the sky.

"I can see them both, Amberfall and Amberpaw," he said carefully, "Amberfall is Amber but… I have a feeling that tracking down Amberpaw would be a wise choice, she's travelling to Lightningclan territory."

"Why is that?" Verse enquired.

"It's foggy, I can't see clearly, you're just gonna have to trust me on this."

Gold didn't trust him as far as he could throw him.

Verse looked right at Gold, "it's decided then. Kuona and I will be travelling to the Moonpool, as we originally planned. Toy, Mo, Viper, you will go to Rainclan and Gold, you will find Amberpaw."

"What?" Gold looked up in horror, "I'm not looking for the traitor."

"I wouldn't argue with me, Gold," Verse said in her annoyingly calm voice, "you're always so desperate to prove yourself? Find this 'Amberpaw,' tell me what's she's doing, tell me why she's doing it and why her name is the same as our favourite traitor, got it?"

Gold tried his hardest to remain stoic.

' _How dare she?'_ He thought, ' _She can't tell me what to do!'_

But he gave up.

"Fine," he said, the spite strong in his voice.

"Good," Verse glanced around, "does anyone else have any more problems?"

No one said anything, but Viper sat next to Mo, a smirk strong on her face as she watched Gold very carefully.

"No?" Verse nodded, "then go, do what you must. But make sure you bring the traitor to _me_."

* * *

Shadepaw padded calmly along the undergrowth, Violetpaw not too far behind him. She was gazing around excitedly, bounding through the undergrowth.

"So," she said, "when we get to Rainclan camp, how are we gonna get to Amberfall?"

"It'll be easier for me to get in on my own," he told her, "I can read minds, remember."

She scoffed, "so what's the point of even taking me on this mission if I'm not doing anything?"

"Stop complaining," he snapped, "you're gonna be standing outside on guard duty, you are the best fighter after all."

That was a lie, but, then again, she couldn't read minds so she wouldn't know.

"You think I'm the best fighter?" She beamed at the praise.

"Uh-huh," he lied before flicking his tail and dropping into a crouch, "quiet, we're getting closer to Rainclan territory."

Violetpaw, who wasn't great at being quiet, did as she was told anyway and dropped into a crouch beside her brother. They were near the small Thunderpath that divided Rainclan and Pineclan and were reaching exposed grounds. Sometimes, two-legs and their monsters would careen up and down, but not during this season or this time of night.

Carefully, Shadepaw checked for any cats prowling around on the more exposed Rainclan territory and flicked his ear for Violetpaw to follow.

The two swiftly darted across the Thunderpath and hid in a bush on the other side. They could hear voices.

"You never listen, you're always off on your own and getting into messes that I have to fix for you!" A tom's voice drifted over, "and now you're out here? Sneaking around at night? You're a mess!"

"Don't call me that, Redfall!" The second voice of a she-cat came over, "you don't know me."

"Exactly! I don't! And I am trying so hard but you keep pushing me away, do you know how hard that is?"

"I never asked for you to get involved in all my business, did I?"

Shadepaw peaked out from the bush, his eyes narrowing in on the two figures. One was a brown tom with a tint of red in his fur whilst the other was Amberfall.

' _That's convenient,'_ he thought.

"There she is," said Violetpaw in a harsh whisper, "read her mind now!"

"It's easier if we're making direct eye contact or, at least, looking in my direction."

"She'll see us if she does that though," his sister pointed out.

"I know, mouse-brain," he rolled his eyes, "we need to get rid of the tom."

A plan was forming in Violetpaw's mind, Shadepaw could see the building blocks in her brain.

"That's not a good idea," he pointed out.

"I know," she said honestly, "but trust me on this."

He paused and then sighed, "fine, but don't be too stupid!"

She darted off before she could even hear the end of his sentence.

Shadepaw sighed and waited patiently, his muscles bunched up ready to move. He heard a rustle from the other side of the small clearing outside the bush. Amberfall didn't seem to hear it but the brown tom, Redfall, did as his ears suddenly pricked up.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

Amberfall looked at him through fiery amber eyes, "hear what?"

"One second," he said, "I'll be right back."

She sighed and sat down as he vanished off into the distance.

Shadepaw waited a few seconds before appearing.

Amberfall glanced at him, not looking at all startled by his sudden appearance.

"Redfall will be back in a few seconds," she said simply, "what do you want to ask?"

"You know Ace," he said simply, "is he your brother?"

"Yes, he is."

"Why did he join the clans before you? Did you have a falling out?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Shadepaw considered the question, "they won't tell us anything, it's like cats want to keep their past a secret from us, which isn't fair because you're my family too."

"It's complicated," she simply said.

Shadepaw gave up and looked her directly in the eye.

" _I don't understand," said a voice next to him, "why do we have to leave?"_

 _Shadepaw felt the same experience as he had before as his body switched to another with a sudden jolt. This time, he had it figured out. He was looking through the eyes of Amberfall and, if he was right, Ace was next to him._

 _His father looked even younger than he had before, he was hardly six moons old!_

" _I have greencough," said an older she-cat, "you can't stay."_

 _She was a frail, starved-looking she-cat who looked slightly too young to be a mother. Her eyes were the colour of heather and were warm with the kindness akin to Shadepaw's own mother._

" _Why not?" Said Amberfall, "we can make you better!"_

 __" _You have to leave before you make yourselves sick," their mother went on, "I love you both."_

" _Where would we go, mother?" Ace looked and sounded distraught, "we want to stay with you."_

" _No," she shook her head but the movement looked too painful for her to manage, "you must find your father, in the city."_

" _You told us he was bad, mother," Amberfall said fearfully, "I don't want to live with a bad cat."_

" _Listen closely you two," she managed to sound stern even in such a weak state, "your father may not be a good cat, but you're still too young to be on your own."_

" _So why can't we just stay with you?" Shadepaw had never heard his father whine before._

" _Are you even listening to me, Flicker?" His mother sighed._

 _Shadepaw blinked, he had never heard anyone use his father's old name before._

" _You won't have to stay with him forever," she promised, placing one paw on his chest, "just until you're both old enough to live on your own."_

" _Really?" Amberfall scooted closer to her mother._

" _But there's one thing you have to re-"_

 _Their mother was cut off by a sudden fit of coughing as the two siblings wheeled back, probably to avoid catching their mother's greencough. When she was done, she looked even weaker, frailer than before._

" _There's one thing you must remember," her voice was hoarse._

" _What is it?" Ace, or Flicker, asked gently._

" _That you must always stay together," she told them, "the bond between siblings is strong, you cannot let yourselves be divided, promise?"_

" _Promise," the two said at the same time._

" _Now, go," she coughed a little, "travel north until you reach the city, find a cat named Smoke, tell them that you're my kits."_

" _Mother-" But Amberfall was cut off._

" _Go!"_

 _The two siblings turned and ran, they kept running until they could no longer see their mother lying alone in her nest. Shadepaw felt exposed in this unfamiliar land and unsettled by what he had just seen._

"Gah!" He said as he suddenly shifted back into reality.

"What?" It was Amberfall, the current version, looking down at him in bewilderment.

His blue eyes suddenly narrowed as he glared at her in suspicion, "you left your mother there to die, how could you?"

Her fur bristled, "how do you know that?"

"If it were my mother, I would've stayed there until she was dead, so she wouldn't have to be alone!"

"And let yourself catch greencough too?" She growled at him.

"You were selfish to leave her."

"No, we weren't. We left so she could die knowing her kits were healthy and safe, not that they were dying of a cold! And don't forget, your father was there too, Ace has done equally as many shitty things that I have."

Shadepaw glared, "don't bring him into this."

"Then don't act sensitive to the truth," she glowered down at him, "Ace thought that he could run to the lake to escape his problems, to escape me, but it's catching up to him now, just you watch, kit."

Shadepaw didn't like how she was talking about his father like he was the worst cat in the world. But, he could also see that she didn't fully believe that, her mind was filled with doubt and fear and memories that threatened to pull Shadepaw back into her brain.

"I saw you standing on a hill, watching a two-leg place burn down," he lowered his voice, "did- did you and my father do that."

A guilty look flashed across her features, "it was a mistake."

"Someone's after you," he pointed out, "you're running away from someone."

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I can see it, in your mind."

Her facial expression was flat, "so you're a creepy kit who can read minds?"

"I'm not creepy and I'm not a kit," he said stubbornly.

"Stick your nose out of this," she told him harshly, "you think you're all big, trying to discover all the dark, hidden secrets of your family, but there are some things you just _should not_ know, got it?"

But it was too late, Shadepaw was distracted by the large, ghostly black figure with poisonous green eyes standing in the shadows. Amberfall turned around to see who he was looking at.

"Viper," her breath seemed to leave her body.

Shadepaw was suddenly hit by a jolt of fear, coming from Amberfall.

A tall, seductive she-cat stepped out from the shadows, her fur a pure black and her eyes were a green that almost seemed to glow.

"Hello, traitor," she said, "long time, no see."

* * *

 **A/N: I haven't got to write a properly evil character since Duskpelt, and now I'm throwing in both Gold** _ **and**_ **Viper. Don't get me wrong, they're both terrible people who have done and will do some shitty things but,** _ **man**_ **, are they fun to write about.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Amberpaw was not overly thrilled with this situation that was currently at hand. The one time she had ever decided to work with her siblings on _anything_ and they had sent her, on her own, all the way to Lightningclan.

She sighed, kicking up the ground with her paws miserably. None of this would've happened if it weren't for her parents keeping secrets from them, what did they have to hide? Maybe they'd done something really evil and her parents were actually murders.

Amberpaw laughed to herself, yeah right.

She might not get on with her father very well but he could never _kill_ anyone, right? But, then again, he had a sister that he never told them about. Not to mention the fact that Stormlight never talked about her own brother or her father for that matter. Oh yeah, she would constantly talk about how great it was that her mother was the leader of a clan, but what about her father.

' _I guess that's what I'm going to investigate now,'_ thought Amberpaw, ' _Lightningclan was her birth clan, they'll have to have answers.'_

But even as she thought it in her head, a creeping sense of uncertainty washed over her. Why did she need to find out anyway? They had to be keeping it secret for a reason, right?

Someone was following her, she could hear them.

She stopped suddenly, turning to look over her shoulder. No one was there. Where was she now? Probably on the outskirts of Lightningclan territory, the comfortingly tall pine trees of Pineclan had disappeared into stretches of clumped together undergrowth and trees with branches too thick and close together for her liking.

Her eyes narrowed, "is anyone there?"

There was no reply, the forest was still.

Still suspicious, but slightly more relaxed, she moved to continue on her way.

 _Rustle!_

A sound! Her ears pricked up as her fur bristled, someone was following her.

"Who's there?" She glared at the undergrowth, "I can hear you."

There was another rustling sound coming from the bush right in front of her. Amberpaw flattened her ears against her head and carefully approached the bush, her claws unsheathed and her muscles tensed ready to pounce. She was hardly a few mouse-lengths away when something burst from the bush.

"Ah!" She gasped, surprised.

A creature scuttled past.

"Oh," she said to herself, calming down, "it was a squirrel."

Now that that was over, Amberpaw felt a little sheepish, she'd been scared by a squirrel.

"What _are_ you doing?" A voice behind her made her jump.

Amberpaw swivelled around only to come nose to nose with a Lightningclan apprentice.

"Hawkpaw?" She was faintly surprised, "hey… How's it going?"

He didn't look amused, "you're on Lightningclan territory."

She feigned shock, "what? Lightningclan? How in Starclan's name did I end up here? You know what, I'll be going," she began to back away, "didn't mean to kick up a fuss."

The black apprenticed rolled his eyes and stepped in front of her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," she responded quickly before seeing the disbelieving look on his face and giving up. "It's mouse-brained."

"What's mouse-brained?"

"The reason I came here."

"Why did you come here?" Hawkpaw peered at her, but he didn't look particularly angry or that he might lash out at her.

Amberpaw paused, she hardly knew this cat, why should she tell him anything? Then again, he was probably the only one in Lightningclan, apart from possibly Ivystar, who would be willing to help her out.

"My parents are dipshits and won't tell me anything," she suddenly blurted out, "they're keeping something hidden from me and my siblings and I don't know what it is. I know that my mom came from Lightningclan so I figured 'hey, maybe I'll ask someone in Lightningclan to tell me what the hell is going on' but now I'm here and I think that this was a terrible idea."

Amberpaw glanced up at Hawkpaw who seemed to be trying to absorb all the information he had just heard.

"Wait," he said slowly, "what's a 'dipshit?'"

Amberpaw sighed, "I dunno, it's a word my dad uses a lot. He was raised in a two-leg place and they use a lot of different words over there."

Hawkpaw looked unsure of himself, "what kind of words?"

"Is this really what you're worried about?" She sighed and lashed her tail out, "what was the point of coming here anyway?"

"Woah, hey," he glanced at her, "just, give me a bit more detail on what you're trying to find out about and I'll see what I can do to help."

"I wanna know more about Lightningclan."

"I'm not spying on my own clan for you."

"No," she realised how weird this was sounding, "not like that. Like, I just want to know more about my family considering my parents aren't telling me anything."

"There's probably a reason they don't want you to know, you know that right?" He pointed out.

"Yeah, I get that," Amberpaw glared, "but it's my family too! If it were your family, wouldn't you want to find out if they were hiding some deep, dark secret?"

Hawkpaw paused, considering the question.

"Yeah, I guess," he said finally, "but you might not like what you find."

"I know," she couldn't help but agree, "but I _need_ to know."

"Okay, then," she had successfully convinced him, "I'll help you. But you have to promise to keep this investigating I'm doing between you and me."

"Deal." She nodded.

"Great," Hawkpaw sat up, "tomorrow night, meet me by the abandoned twoleg nest."

"Where's that?"

"You know where Greenleaf two-leg place is? The one across the two-leg path?"

"Yeah."

"Go straight on through the trees until you reach the nest, got it?"

Amberpaw nodded, "got it. I better be going."

"Woah, Woah!" He stopped her again, "do you really think I'm just gonna let you wander around Lightningclan on your own? No way. I'll escort you to the border."

"Why? Do you want to make sure I'm safe?" She teased.

"No," he shrugged, "I wanna make sure you're not spying."

The rest of the walk back from their was mainly done in silence apart from the sound of their bodies rustling the bushes and bracken around them along with the crunch of their pawsteps snapping tiny twigs as they trod. Amberpaw couldn't understand how Hawkpaw could stand to live here, the sky was hardly visible through the thick tree branches and the ground was constantly moving, making sounds as leaves turned brown and red and crunched under paws.

In Pineclan, the tall, thin, pine trees gave away to amazing views of the night sky and the ground was visible at all times, not to mention the shadows left lots of room for hiding without needing bracken or prickly brambles to take cover behind. The only sounds were the hushes swishes of pine needles as they brushed against one another in light breezes.

Just being in Lightningclan territory made Amberpaw glad that her parents ended up living in Pineclan instead.

"Did you hear that?" Hawkpaw stopped suddenly, his black ears pricked up.

Amberpaw suddenly noticed how large his ears were.

"No," she shook her head, "the only thing I can hear is us."

"I didn't know Pineclan cats were deaf," scoffed Hawkpaw, "are you sure you didn't hear anything."

"Look, not every cat has freakishly oversized ears like you, Hawkpaw," she shook her head, "it was probably just a squirrel."

"No, it sounded like pawsteps," he looked up, "someone's following us."

Amberpaw couldn't help but feel unsettled, "maybe it's just one of your clanmates."

He frowned, "maybe…"

She nudged him forward, "let's just ignore it. You might just be imagining it."

"Maybe," but he looked unsure.

The two continued to walk but, this time, it was Amberpaw who stopped.

"You're right," she hissed, "someone _is_ following us."

Both of them stopped, Amberpaw had her fur bristled and her claws unsheathed, her body crouched in attack mode. Hawkpaw beside her was standing up straight and stiff, his icy blue eyes alert and his ears pricked, his tail wasn't even twitching as he eyed the area. They both quietly watched and listened.

"Maybe we're both crazy," suggested Hawkpaw.

"Shush!" She hissed, putting her tail over his mouth, "quiet!"

The two listened quietly. There was rustling coming from nearby and it did sound uncannily like pawsteps like someone was coming closer… closer and closer…

"You two need to relax," a voice came from the woods, "I'm not here to hurt anyone."

The voice's accent was strong but smooth, relaxing, trustworthy, but Amberpaw knew better.

"Who are you?" She called out into the darkness, "a Lightningclan cat?"

The voice laughed, "guess again."

"Uh," Amberpaw looked at Hawkpaw who shrugged.

"A Heatherclan cat?" He asked cautiously.

"You two are so uncreative," the voice laughed again, "there are more types of cats in the world than just clan cats. Think outside the box."

"You're a rogue," accused Amberpaw, "you shouldn't be on clan territory."

A cat stepped into the moonlight, "and your family know a lot about rogues don't they."

Hawkpaw and Amberpaw looked on.

He was a slender, tall tom, maybe just matching the height of Starlingwing. His fur was a silky dark grey tone, neatly flattened down as though he had taken plenty of time to make sure his fur looked good. But easily the most stand out feature was his eyes.

Amberpaw knew what strange eye colours looked like. Her sister's and father's eyes were an unnatural violet colour, but they were always gentle and natural looking. Whilst her mother, Stormlight, also had unnaturally yellow eyes along with Amberpaw herself, she had never seen anything like this.

This cat's eyes were yellow but in a different way. They didn't stick out due to a bright garish colour or just an unusual shade. These eyes glittered like there were tiny specks of sunlight that shone through them.

He looked like he had eyes of pure gold.

* * *

 **A/N: I would've had this up for Friday if it weren't for Stranger Things season 2 which was, by the way, the greatest thing EVER!**

 **HMU if you want to talk about how great Jim Hopper is ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Violetpaw inwardly cursed herself, this was a bad idea.

She had drawn away the attention of the tom Amberfall had been talking to, Redfall. He was now scanning the area through narrowed eyes, his claws unsheathed, as Violetpaw hid in a nearby bush, downwind from him.

"Who's there?" He growled.

He had his back faced to her, she could easily slip out the way…

Slam.

A paw connected with Redfall's head, a blow so unnaturally powerful that Violetpaw could hear the thunk of his skull cracking suddenly. He was thrown backwards several tail lengths before crashing back down the ground.

She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from crying out in horror.

A large tom was standing where Redfall had once stood, his muscles rippling under his tabby pelt. Violetpaw had never seen a cat so large before.

Beside him, a smaller cat emerged. He would've looked like a normal sized cat had he not been dwarfed by the more powerful looking tom beside him.

"Mo," ordered the big tom, "check him."

The cream coloured tom, supposedly called 'Mo,' stepped towards the body nervously, placing a paw on Redfall's head.

After a couple seconds, he turned back to the large tom.

"Dead," he confirmed.

Violetpaw felt a jolt of shock in her stomach, dead? Had she just witnessed some random Rainclan cat get murdered for no reason? She sucked in a breath.

"Where's Viper," the larger tom asked.

"She went ahead," Mo informed, "down there."

Violetpaw noticed where Mo was gesturing, he was gesturing to where Amberfall and her brother were.

Panic seized her, if these cats could kill a cat they didn't even know, what would stop them from killing her brother? She had to find a way to slip away… to warn them. Unless she was too late.

' _How many of these rogues are there?'_ the thought suddenly struck her, ' _Could Pineclan be in danger? What about Amberpaw and her mission?'_

It wasn't a particularly pleasant thought to have, Violetpaw knew she had to do something, anything!

But she was just an apprentice, and these cats just murdered someone… Anything she tried would get her killed.

Unless…

Violetpaw closed her eyes and prayed.

* * *

Hawkpaw stumbled backwards, instantly shaken by the appearance of the rogue. He was tall but didn't look much older than the age of a young warrior, or even an old apprentice. Yet he looked nothing like a warrior at the same time. In a warrior's eyes, like Hawkpaw's father, Lionpelt, there was determination, grit and strength. However, in this knew cats eyes, there was a cunning edge, a slyness that twisted the young apprentice's heart.

"I recognise you," he said to Amberpaw, ignoring Hawkpaw, "not you in particular, but I'm sure I could take a good guess at who your father is."

"Guess away then," Hawkpaw noticed that her fur was bristling.

"I never met him personally, but I've heard stories of the monsters that burnt down our home, nearly killing us."

"Who's 'us?'" Asked Hawkpaw, "are there more of you rogues?"

He finally seemed to get the attention of the newcomer who regarded him with those glistening gold eyes.

"There's plenty of rogues," he nodded, "from where I was born, there were loads of us, maybe even more than you clan cats. But we weren't normal rogues, you see, all of us were born Cursed."

"Cursed?" Hawkpaw had heard rumours of the powers and destruction cursed cats could cause, "all of you?"

But Amberpaw was ignoring him now, "you came from the same place my father did."

"Ah, yes, Flicker," he grinned, "never met him, I wasn't even born yet when he did it."

"Did what?"

The newcomer laughed, "he never told you."

Amberpaw had gone rigid beside Hawkpaw, "told me what?"

"Sorry to break this to you, kit, but your father burnt down an entire two-leg place, a two-leg placed filled with so many cats you couldn't fit them all around this lake."

There was a pause.

"You're lying," Amberpaw said finally, "he wouldn't do that, why would he?"

"Your father is a lying piece of shit, that's why," he said honestly and bluntly, getting closer to Amberpaw. "I thought he was dead but now I see you, I realise I've stumbled onto something much larger than I expected."

"Who are you?" Hawkpaw growled, "what do you want?"

"My name is Gold," he said finally, "and I want a lot more than you'd expect."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the younger tom was confused.

"To kill the last of Amber's and Flicker's bloodline."

"Who's Flicker?" Hawkpaw twitched.

"My father," it was Amberpaw who responded, her yellow eyes wide, "Ace."

* * *

"Ace?" Gold posed the name like it was a question, "he changed his name."

Amberpaw was struggling to pay attention to anything when the world was tilting, this cat wanted to kill her. She should run, run far away. Or at least try and fight back. She was strong, she could beat him.

No, there was something about this cat, something so twisted that Amberpaw couldn't work it out.

"If you want to kill her," Hawkpaw stepped in front of her, "you'll have to get through me first."

It was a very noble thing to do considering he hardly knew her, Amberpaw regarded the apprentice. He was probably just doing it out of a sense of honour and justice, plus, who would want the burden of knowing you let some cat die on your shoulders?

Gold, however, didn't look so moved by the act of bravery. In fact, he looked bored.

"I wouldn't do that, kit," he said, "not if I were you."

"Who are you to stop me?" Hawkpaw growled back.

Gold just glared at him, looking him right in the eye.

"Step aside."

Amberpaw's stomach jolted when Hawkpaw did just that, he stepped aside.

* * *

"Viper?" Shadepaw looked at the new she-cat, "Who in Starclan's name are you?"

"A rogue," Amberfall answered for him, her eyes not looking away from the black she-cat.

"A rouge?" Viper repeated with a sigh, "surely I mean more to you than just that, old friend."

"You're not my friend," Amberfall shook her head and looked away.

"But it seems to me that you might need some friends," she taunted, "where's Flicker? Dead? I wouldn't be surprised."

Amberfall glanced down at Shadepaw but didn't say anything.

"Or is this tom you're new buddy?" The she-cat snorted, "I knew you were getting lonely, Amberfall, but I never thought you'd drop to the level of hanging out with a kit."

Shadepaw bristled, "I'm not a kit."

"What are you doing here?" Viper ignored him, "you're not a clan cat, you were born a rogue."

"I came here to hide," there was a surprising amount of honesty in Amberfall's voice, "and-"

She stopped.

Viper gave her a quizzical, but amused, look with her bright green eyes, "for redemption? Is that why you came here? I thought you never believed in star cats, Amberfall."

"I don't, Viper," spat Amberfall, "I'm not here for redemption. I know I did the right thing."

"You did the right thing?" Viper asked incredulously, "no, no you didn't! You remember Flower? And Rico?"

"Yes."

"They're dead," she spat, "they died thanks to you. They had a kit that was only a moon old, a moon! He had to grow up without parents thanks to you and your brother."

"I was doing the right thing."

"No, you weren't, Amber," growled Viper, "you thought you were, but you weren't. At least your moronic brother could see that."

"My father is not a moron!" Shadepaw suddenly yelled before realising his mistake.

Viper looked down at him as if she'd only just seen him, her green eyes round with surprise and… delight? Amberfall, on the other hand, looked horrified at what Shadepaw had just slipped.

Viper grinned, "so, your brother is still alive." She laughed, "and he had kits."

* * *

 **A/N: Whoops! This chapter took me a long time to write!  
Also, there was something I wanted to address. I got a guest review that was pointing out a bunch of genetic mistakes I made when designing each cat. Whilst I can fully understand the annoyance that could make, I don't see it as a big deal as the looks of the characters never really contribute to the story, plus this is a story about cats with superpowers, it doesn't make a major difference. **

**I really do appreciate the review and it will be something I'll bear in mind for when I'm writing in the future, I know zilch about cat genetics. But I'm not going to go change the design of the characters, sorry, they are only talking cats.**


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